OREANDA-NEWS. General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) dealers delivered 223,437 vehicles in the United States in September. Total deliveries were up 19 percent compared with a year ago. Retail deliveries, which are sales to individual consumers, were up 17 percent. Fleet deliveries were up 30 percent, including the 11th consecutive monthly increase in commercial sales.

“GM saw strength almost across the board in September, and outpaced the industry with the newest trucks and SUVs at exactly the right time,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “We will have improved availability of heavy-duty pickups and large SUVs in the months ahead, and the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are arriving in showrooms as we speak. This sets us up to finish the year on a very strong note.”

Exceptionally strong sales of trucks and crossovers helped GM earn average transaction prices (ATPs) of about USD 34,600, the highest in company history, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates. ATPs were up about USD 1,200 per unit compared with August, and they were up about USD 2,500 per unit from a year ago.

Nearly 80 percent of retail customers who bought a large SUV during September purchased a Chevrolet or GMC product. In addition, the Chevrolet Silverado had its best retail sales month since 2008 and GM's estimated share of the retail market for large pickups increased 5 percentage points from a year ago to close to 40 percent.

In the medium crossover segment, combined sales of the Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave were up 31 percent. GM compact car deliveries were also up 30 percent, and year-to-date sales were the highest since 2005.

September Sales Highlights (vs. 2013 except as noted)

Chevrolet deliveries increased 20 percent, with Silverado up 54 percent, Suburban up 50 percent, Traverse up 45 percent, Cruze up 45 percent, Sonic up 14 percent and Equinox up 12 percent. Corvette deliveries nearly tripled.

GMC deliveries were up 28 percent, including a 25 percent increase for Sierra and a 16 percent increase for Terrain. Yukon sales nearly doubled and Yukon XL was up 64 percent.

Sales of the new Cadillac Escalade more than doubled, helping the brand deliver results equal to a year ago.

Buick deliveries increased 12 percent, with Enclave up 36 percent, Encore up 20 percent, Verano up 6 percent and Regal up 5 percent. The Encore has been the industry's best-selling small SUV for six months in a row.

The first deliveries of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon occurred in September and availability will grow throughout the fall. GM has announced plans to add a third shift at its Wentzville, Mo., assembly plant in early 2015 to meet expected demand for both mid-size pickups and full-size vans.

Incentive spending as a percentage of ATPs was 11.1 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from August but the lowest of all domestic automakers by a significant margin, according to PIN. GM's calendar-year-to-date spending as a percentage of ATPs is 10.7 percent, down 0.3 points, while industry spending is 10.0 percent, up 0.4 points.

GM posted a 25 percent gain in commercial sales driven by pickups and vans, which were up 6 percent and 46 percent, respectively. Sales to rental customers were up about 35 percent due to timing. Sales to government customers were up about 17 percent. Year to date, commercial sales are up 24 percent, rental deliveries are up 3 percent and government deliveries are down 2 percent.

General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM, its subsidiaries and joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Cadillac, Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling brands.